New parents are increasingly ditching trendy baby names in favor of vintage ones that haven’t been chic in a century.
The Social Security Administration’s recently released list of most popular baby names shows old-fashioned names are surging, with Theodore, Oliver and James leading the boys’ list, and Olivia, Charlotte and Amelia topping the girls’.
“Names that once felt dusty or forgotten are now being lovingly reclaimed,” baby name consultant Taylor A. Humphrey told Yahoo Life. “In a fast-paced, tech-saturated world, parents are reaching back in time for names that feel timeless, classic and meaningful.”
Gone are the Jessicas and Tylers of the 1990s, experts say. Today’s parents are opting for Otis, Mabel and Florence.
“There’s something called the hundred-year cycle,” Jennifer Moss, founder of BabyNames.com, told Yahoo. “It’s usually the case that the baby-having generation does not want to use names of the immediate past generation… but going back 100-plus years seems acceptable.”
According to the Bump, Barbara rose 87 spots on the list of top U.S. baby names between 2022 and 2023, while Agatha climbed 90 places and Bob saw a sharp surge, jumping more than 4,000 spots.
Ms. Humphrey calls it a revival of “vintage soul and modern edge,” listing new favorites like “Alma, Eloise, Flora, Mara, Margaret, Nora and Bennett.”
Top girls’ names (2024):
• Olivia
• Emma
• Amelia
• Charlotte
• Mia
Top boys’ names (2024):
• Liam
• Noah
• Oliver
• Theodore
• James
Top girls’ names (1994):
• Jessica
• Ashley
• Emily
• Samantha
• Sarah
Top boys’ names (1994):
• Michael
• Christopher
• Matthew
• Joshua
• Tyler
Online observers are marveling at the trend.
“Two friends had baby girls this week and named them Martha and Enid. Enid has a brother named Walter,” wrote one Reddit user. “Sounds like a trio at a nursing home!”
One kindergarten teacher noted the names in her classes of little ones are growing more old-fashioned each year.
“I had a kindergarten class … with a Hazel, Florence, Olive and Mabel. I absolutely love all these names,” the anonymous teacher posted on Reddit, “but it did cross my mind that I could be working in aged care rather than early childhood care with those names!”
Even trendy names with staying power, like Isla, have begun to fade, Ms. Humphrey said. And the “Aidan and Jayden” era of the 2000s is coming to a close — perhaps to return in a century.
“I do hear less of those names now,” said Ms. Slagen. “I think they hit their peak in the early 2000s.”
Ms. Humphrey says choosing “grandparent names” is about allowing parents to honor a past they don’t know themselves, but feel tied to.
“These names anchor the next generation in something enduring, eternal, soulful and time-tested,” she told Yahoo. “In a world that often feels all too fleeting and fast-paced, a name like Arthur, August, Mabel or Florence reminds us to slow down, kick up our feet and sit on the front porch with a cold glass of sweet tea for a little while.”
